Writing shelf



June 19, 1934. E, M TH 1,963,721

WRITING SHELF Filed May 29. 1930 I5 22 2/ 32 ---26 3/ 27 52 /4 33 FIG. 2. 34 24 I3 I 29 I6 24 {I l5 l2 IIO /A k \x Q g El /9 I l i 33 34 20 l6 /7 40 FIG. 3.

30 INVENTOR E. M SM/Th' 1 29. @Zac ATTORNEY gb are distributed through the exchange.

Patented June 19, 1934 WRITING SHELF Edward M. Smith, East Orange, N. 3., as'signor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 29, 1930, Serial No. 456,992

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a writing shelf and more particularly to a type of shelf which is well adapted for use in telephone exchanges and the like where the available floor space is very limited.

The object of this invention is to provide a shelf of this type which will be simple, cheap to manufacture, and which may be easily placed in a number of convenient positions on a relay rack and readily removable therefrom for mounting on relay racks located at different places in the exchange.

According to this invention aboard of suitable material is mounted on two supporting arms. These arms are provided at their free ends with a combination of hooks and notches which interlock with studs which are carried by plates disposed on each side of the board. These plates are in turn mounted on upright supports which Means is provided for locking the board in the set or adjusted position while remaining readily removable therefrom for mounting on another pair of plates which are permanently secured on upright supports throughout the exchange.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the shelf shown in the horizontal position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the shelf in its vertical position, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

As shown in the several figures, a board or writing desk B, which is made of sections 10 and 11, each of suitable material, such as wood, composition or metal are each provided at their ends 5 with a pair of metal angle pieces 12, 13 and 14,

15 respectively which are securely held thereon by a number of screws such as 16 shown in Fig. 3. On angle pieces 12 and 13 are mounted the arms 17 and 18 respectively. These arms are securely held thereon as by rivets 19 shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The arms 17 and 18 are secured on angle pieces 14 and 15 of board section 11 by a number of screws such as 20 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. These arms are provided at their ends with hooks 21 and 22 and T-shaped slots 23 and 24 each forming a plurality of hooks as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 provided for a purpose that will be hereinafter described in detail.

5 On upright supports 25 and 26, for example,

are mounted a number of plates such as 27 forming a mounting panel on which are mounted the side plates 28 and 29. These plates are securely held on the plates 27 by a number of 5 screws such as 30 shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Plates 28 and 29 are each provided with a pair of studs 31, 32 and 33, 34 respectively.

When the shelf is placed in the horizontal position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, one of the hooks formed by the slots 23 and 24 of arms 18 61) and 1'7 engage with their respective studs 31 and 34 on plates 28 and 29 and the hooks 21 and 22 with studs 32 and 33. These hooks permit the pivotal movement of the shelf on studs 31 and 34 in one direction for disengaging the hooks 21 and 35 22 at the ends of arms 17 and 18 from studs 32 and 33 for placing the shelf in position as shown in Fig. 2; the shelf remaining in the vertical position through the engagement of the opposite hooks formed by slots 23 and 24 with the studs 31 and 34 and the engagement of arm 17 against a stop in the form of a stud carried by the plate 29 for holding the shelf in a position substantially at right angles to its writing position, thus preventing the shelf abutting against '75 the electrical apparatus enclosed in a casing H shown diagrammatically in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. From the vertical position the shelf may be entirely removed from the plates 28 and 29 by disengaging the slots 23 and 24 from studs 31 and 34 respectively. If desired, the board section 11 may be removed from the arms 17 and 18 through the removal of screws 20 shown in Fig. 3 whereby access may be had to the electrical apparatus enclosed in the casing H, the plates 28 and 29 remaining in position on the upright supports 25 and 26 for the mounting of other electrical apparatus thereon.

What is claimed is:

1. In a writing shelf, a support, a pair of parallelly disposed plates mounted thereon, a pair of arms, writing board sections carried by said arms, said sections holding said arms in adjusted spaced parallel relation with respect to said plates, each of said arms having a hook at one end and a T-shaped slot adjacent thereto, groups of studs mounted on each of said plates, a pair of studs in each group cooperating with said arms to hold said sections in a horizontal position by engaging the hooks in the ends of the arms and one end of each of said slots, one stud of each of said pairs being adapted to hold said arms in a vertical position by engaging the other ends of the slots when the hooks on the ends of the arms are disengaged from their studs and the arms allowed to drop, said studs being adapted to pass through the openings in the slots to permit removal of the arms from said plates.

2. In a writing shelf, a support, a pair of par- I allelly disposed plates mounted thereon, a pair 0 to hold said sections in a horizontal position by engaging the hooks in the ends of the arms and one end of each of said slots, one stud in each of said pairs being adapted to hold said arms in a vertical position by engaging the other ends of the slots when the hooks on the ends of the arms are disengaged from their studs, and the arms allowed to drop, said studs being adapted to pass through the openings in the slots to permit removal of the arms from said plates, and a stud in each of said groups cooperating with the studs engaging said slots for limiting the movement of said writing sections in said vertical position.

EDWARD M. SMITH. 

